We crave the proverbial “70 degrees and sunny” days. A single 80-degree day this week invigorated my spring dreams. While we’re staying at home to be safe, a burst of color for an intimate Easter celebration or everyday meal brings life to a table. Luckily, grocery stores still have flowers to grab while you’re stocking up.

Yellow is responsible for so many happy and spirited moments in our lives. But ask anyone their favorite color, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find an admirer who will rank this bright hue as their top pick.

This under-celebrated brightness earns a 5-star rating from me. As daffodils and tulips begin to show their beautiful faces, I’m showing you how yellow in flower form is sure to delight as the outdoors sheds its last moments of winter and spring fights to take the reins. Thank you to the remarkable Maya Boettcher, owner of Wildflower (you’ll meet Maya in an upcoming post), for creating such gorgeous arrangements.

You’ll need:

• Yellow flowers of all types (daffodils, tulips, daisies, orchids, sunflowers, ranunculus, and any other varieties you can find)
• Containers. White keeps the arrangements graphic and modern. I selected both a marbleized round vase with straight sides and a traditional compote that in white says “hot and current.” Then there’s blue-and-white. I can’t say enough good about this color team and selected a piece of fine porcelain as one of my displays.
• Greenery. Eucalyptus doesn’t scream green. It’s soft and teeters between green and gray.
• Contrasting flowers. I wanted my arrangements to be somewhat monotone, so my contrasting color was white.

Arrangement 1: Single Flower, Single Color

Simplicity is a powerful statement. It bears a certain level of confidence. It’s a declaration that nothing more is needed. Such is the case with a bunch of yellow tulips that glide into their bendy positions with the same graceful movement that ballet dancers use to tell a story on stage.

I’m sure that you’ve seen pictures of tulip fields in Holland showing multicolor blankets of these spring bulbs’ vibrant colors en masse. Maybe you’ve even been lucky enough to visit them. For the purpose of a simple arrangement, we’re sticking to one color. There’s not a whole lot of planning here. A special piece of blue-and-white porcelain gives traditional flair to the tulips and hints at a handed-down heirloom or a trip to a flea market.

Arrangement 2: Yellow in All Forms

The single bloom style is one version of simplicity. Another gives yellow an extra little kick by showing the cheerful color in all (or some anyway) of its variety.

I wanted a display that was full and beautiful but with a little boost that read contemporary without being too graphic. First came the vessel. A round vase with straight edges meant no fuss with form. A slight marbleized pattern supports the random notes of the arrangement.

Complexity shows its face with the plethora of blooms, all in sunshiny shades of yellow. A Gerbera daisy pushes itself front and center among orchids that play along happily but fall more randomly. Seeded eucalyptus keeps the flowers from being completely monotone and provides separation so each variety can shine in its own individuality.

Arrangement 3: Yellow and Its Partners

We are all familiar with old-school floral arrangements that throw several types of flowers together (albeit artfully and with purpose) and call it beautiful. That’s fine but doesn’t always read current and modern.

I wanted to see how we could master that traditional way of arranging flowers in a manner that said pizzazz and sass—as if it were destined for a chic dinner party with sequined dresses and sexy jumpsuits, not the lobby of a historic hotel that boasts a position on a “best of” list.

The pedestal-style container shows the hallmarks of traditional style—curves and ornamentation. But in bright white it edits itself, like classic white architecture that allows form to take precedence and color to come later. Later, in this case, smiled with tulips, daisies, greenery, even cabbage, all mixed together. While the variance in color exists, it’s subtle, still leaning toward monotone with blooms in the same weight of color.

Even if you can only grab a few blooms for a bud vase, yellow pumps up the happy factor—and we all need a little happy right now.